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A
Shorthand for an Ace

Ace High
A hand containing no pairs or higher, but with an ace

Action
The amount of betting and raising that is going on in a game

Add On
The chance to buy more chips at a particular stage in some tournaments

Advertise
To bluff a hand deliberately so that people will think you are loose

All-In
A player is all in when he has all his chips in the pot

Ante
An obligatory bet in some forms of poker at the start of a new hand

Back into a Hand
To draw to a different hand than the one you were originally trying to make

Backdoor
A draw that requires both of the remaining cards to complete the hand

Bad Beat
To lose a hand when the odds are stacked in your favour

Bankroll
The amount of money a player has available to bet

Belly Buster
See Gut shot

Big Blind
The larger of the two blind bets typically used in a Hold `Em game. The big blind is a full first round bet

Big Slick
An Ace and King in the whole cards

Blank
A community card that doesn`t seem to help any draws

Blind
A bet that is put into the pot before players see their cards to get the betting going

Bluff
To bet or raise representing a good hand when actually you hold a weak hand

Board
The community cards as a whole

Boat
Another term for a full house. aka Full Boat

Bonus
An offer from an online poker site, usually of monetary value based on playing reuirements

Bottom Pair
A pair with the lowest card on the board and one of your hole cards

Bounty
A prize that is given in some tournaments for knocking out a particular opponent, often a celebrity

Brick and Mortar
A `real world` casino or card room as opposed to an online one

Bring In
The forced bet made on the first betting round, depending on who has the lowest face up card in Seven Card Stud and the highest in razz

Broadway
An ace high straight

Bubble
The period in a poker tournament where there are not many people that need to be eliminated before the prizes start. Some people may tighten up to ensure getting in the money, whilst others will get more aggressive to take advantage of the players who are concerned to not get knocked out yet.

Bullets
Aces

Bump
Raise

Buried Pair
In stud games, a pair in the hole

Burn
To get rid of a card in a set pattern when dealing. This is a method that helps to prevent cheating.

Busted Flush / Straight
A hand that contains only four out of the required five cards

Button
A white disk that rotates around the players at the table, indicating the nominal dealer and therefore player position in the hand.

Buy
To buy a pot is also known as stealing a pot, and means to bluff at it and win make opponents fold

Buy-In
An amount of money you pay to enter a tournament, or the minimum amount that needs to be used to enter a cash game

Call
To equal the required chips to stay in the pot but not raising

Calling Station
A weak-passive player who calls with almost any hand

Cap
To put in the final permitted raise of the current round of betting

Case Chips
A players last chips

Caught Speeding
A failed bluff

Chat
Typically there is a chat window in online poker rooms which can be used to type messages that the other players can see

Check
To decline the opportunity to bet when there is no previous bet to call

Check-raise
To check and then raise when a player that acts after you bets

Cheese
A weak starting hand

Cinch Hand
An unbeatable hand

Clean Out
An card that would complete your hand, but would not complete anyone else`s more superior hand

Closed Poker
A game in which all the cards are dealt face down

Coffee Housing
An attempt to mislead your opponents through your speech or behaviour

Cold
A player or seat that is being dealt a string of bad cards

Cold Call
To call more than one bet in a single action, particularly when not in the blind positions

Cold Deck
A fixed deck of cards

Come Over the Top
To raise or re-raise a player`s bet

Community Cards
The cards that any player in the hand can use to make their best hand

Complete Hand
A hand that uses all five cards - a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, or straight flush

Connectors
Two cards that are next to each other in rank, typically in Hold `Em hole cards. For example 7 and 8, or Q and K.

Counterfeit
A card that duplicates one in your hole cards which can make a strong hand weak, especially in Omaha Hi / Lo

Court Cards
Kings, Queens and Jacks. Also known as paint cards, face cards and picture cards

Cowboys
Slang for Kings

Crabs
Slang for threes

Crack
To beat a hand, usually a strong hand. Often used when AA or KK is beaten.

Crying Call
A call that you make expecting to lose, but feel that you must make anyway because of the pot odds

Cut it up
To split a pot between two or more players

Cut Off
The position (or player) who acts immediately before the button in Hold `Em. Considered the 2nd best position for the hand.

Dealer Button
A white disk that rotates around the players at the table indicating the nominal dealer and therefore player position in the hand. See also: Button

Dealer`s Choice
A game of poker, typically a home game, in which each dealer in turn chooses the version of poker to play in that hand. (This has been formalised into the game of Horse)

Deuce
Slang for a 2

Deuce to Seven
Another term for Kansas City Lowball, a game in which low ranking hands win

Dog
Short for underdog. The person least likely to win a hand.

Dominated
A hand that is almost always going to lose against another specific starting hand

Door Card
In Seven Card Stud, the first exposed card of a player`s hand

Double Belly Buster or Double Gut-shot
A drawing hand with two inside straight draws are available. N.B. This is different to an open ended draw, but has the same probability of hitting.

Double Through
To double your chips in a single hand

Down Card
A face down card in a player`s hand

Down to the Felt
A player with no (or just a few) chips left.

Draw
To stay in a hand in the hope that you will get the final card that you need to complete your hand. Typically a flush or a straight draw.

Draw Lowball
A version of poker in which the lowest hand wins

Draw Out
To improve your hand from a losing hand to a winning hand

Draw Poker
A version of poker with 5 cards each and the option to swap 1 or more of them

Drawing Dead
To be in a hand that you cannot win, whatever the final cards are

Drop
Fold

Early
A position in which you must act before most of the other players

Edge
The advantage one player has over another in any given situation

Effective Odds
See Implied Odds

Even Money
A bet where you try to win the same amount as you bet. Often used by poker commentators to describe a heads up hand where each player has similar odds of winning.

Expectation
The amount you expect to win or lose over a certain period of time, or with particular types of play

Extra Blind
A blind put into the pot by a player new to the game or returning to it, who does not want to wait until the big blind reaches them

Face Cards
Kings, Queens and Jacks, also known as court cards, paint cards and picture cards

Family Pot
A hand where most or all of the players stay in past the first round of betting

Fast Play
To play a hand aggressively, typically to try and get rid of opponents when there are lots of possible cards that could make yours lose

Favourite
The hand or player with the best chance of winning

Fifth Street
The fifth community card to be dealt

Fill Up
To make a full house

Fish
A bad player

Fishhooks
Slang for Jacks

Five Card Draw
A version of poker where each player has 5 cards and has the opportunity to swap 1 or more of them

Five Card Stud
A version of poker where each player gets 1 concealed card and 4 exposed cards

Fixed-Limit
A betting structure where the amount that a player can bet or raise is fixed

Flat Call
To call without raising

Flop
In Hold `Em and Omaha, the first three community cards

Flush
Five cards of the same suit

Flush Draw
A hand with four cards to a flush but needing the fifth to complete it

Fold
To withdraw from the hand

Forced Bet
A bet before the any cards are seen to get the betting started, for example Blinds or Antes

Four Flush
Four cards of the same suit without the fifth to make the hand a flush

Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank

Fourth Street
The fourth community card to be dealt

Free Card
A community card that you get to see without putting any money into the pot because no-one bets

Free Ride
Being able to stay in a hand without having to put more money into the pot

Freeroll
A tournament with a prize but is free to enter

Freeze Out
A type of tournament where there are no re-buys or add on`s

Full House
Three cards of one rank, and two of another

Grind
To play tight patient poker with minimum risk to make a slow but steady rate of profit

Gut shot
Also known as an inside straight draw, where only one rank card can complete the possible straight

Gypsy In
In Lowball, to call without raising in the first round of betting

Head`s Up
A hand with only two players, including the latter stages of a hand that everyone else has folded

High/Low
A version of poker in which the best and worst hands split the pot

Hit
To get one of the cards you wanted

Hit and Run
When a player enters a game, quickly wins some money and then leaves quickly

Hold `Em
Short for Texas Hold `Em

Hole Cards
A player`s personal cards that only they can use

Hourly Rate
The amount of money that you can reasonably expect to win on average each hour, taking all factors into account

House
The company that runs the game

Ignorant End
The low end straight, e.g. holding 7,8 with 9,T,J on board

Implied Odds
Pot odds that do not exist at the moment, but are calculated including any bets that are you expect will go into the pot from your opponents

In the Dark
Describes the act of choosing how to play without seeing your cards first

Inside Straight
Four cards needing one in the middle to complete a straight

Isolate
Typically a re-raise to scare off other opponents so that you can play heads up with the player who originally raised

J
Shorthand for a Jack

Jackpot
A prize given out for a particular event, such as getting a royal flush or a particularly bad beat

Joker
The fifty third card in the deck which is sometimes used as a wild card in home games

K
Shorthand for a King

Kansas City Lowball
A form of poker in which low cards win

Kick It
To raise

Kicker
An unpaired card used to determine the better of two near-equivalent hands

Knave
Another term for a Jack

Late
A position in which you act after most of the other players in the hand

Lay Down
To fold

Lead
To be the first to enter the pot after the blind

Leak
A weakness in a players game that will consistently cost them money

Legitimate Hand
A strong hand

Limit Poker
Any game of poker in which the limit is for each bet is pre-determined

Limp
To call without raising, typically before the flop

Live Blind
A forced bet put in by one or more players before any cards are dealt. The "live" means those players still have the option of raising when the action gets back around to them.

Live Cards
Cards that are not duplicated in an opponent`s stronger hand, and will therefore be able to pair with a community card and possibly win the hand.

Live One
A bad player, possibly new to the game, who seems to have plenty of money to lose

Lock
A hand that cannot be beaten

Long Odds
The chances of an unlikely outcome happening

Look
To call the final bet to see what your opponent has, even if you have no chance of winning

Loose
A player who plays more hands than would typically be expected. Also refers to a game with loose players.

Lowball
A Form of Poker in which the lowest hand wins

Made Hand
A complete hand that doesn`t need any other cards

Main Pot
The pot that everyone has contributed to when a player goes all-in. The rest of the chips go into a side pot.

Make a Move
To bluff

Maniac
A player that raises a bets a very large amount

Mark
A bad player

Marker
An IOU

Mechanic
A cheat who fixes the deck

Meet
To call

Middle Pair
A pair of a hole card and the middle rank card on the board

Middle Position
A position in which there are about as many players acting before you as after you

Miss
To fail to hit your required cards on a drawing hand

Monster
An very strong hand

Move In
To go All-in

Muck
To throw your cards away without showing them

Multiway
Refers to a pot in which several players are involved

Narrow the Field
To bet or raise to try and scare of as many players as possible

Network
A group of poker sites which allow users to all play on the same tables

No-Limit
A game in which you can bet any amount

Nut Flush
The best possible flush, even if a higher hand is possible

Nut Straight
The best possible straight, even if a higher hand is possible

Nuts
The best possible hand that can be made from the community cards

Odds
The chances of making a hand compared to not making it

Off Suit
Two cards, typically hole cards, that have different suits

Omaha
A version of poker similar to Hold `Em, but with four hole cards

Omaha Hi/Lo
A version of poker similar to Hold `Em, but with four hole cards and the pot split between the best high and low hands

On Board
The cards that make up the community cards

One-Gap
A Hold `Em starting hand with two cards two apart in rank, e.g. 8and 6 or T and Q

Open Ended Straight Draw
Four cards to a straight where a card ranking above or below the run will complete the hand

Out
A card that will improve your hand

Outdraw
To improve your hand from a losing hand to a winning one

Overcard
A card higher than any card on the board, or any card on the board higher than your pocket pair

Overpair
A card higher than any card on the board, or any card on the board higher than your pocket pair

Paint Cards
Kings, Queens and Jacks. Also known as court cards, face cards and picture cards

Pair
Two cards of the same rank

Pass
To Fold

Passive
A player that is not aggressive and is unlikely to bet and raise without very good cards. Also refers to a game with passive players.

Pat Hand
A hand where the first five cards complete the hand without need for more cards

Pay Off
To call a bet when you think you have a losing hand but the odds make it worth a call

Picture Cards
Kings, Queens and Jacks. Also known as paint cards, court cards and face cards

Play Money
Poker played as a practice, without real money involved

Pocket
Your cards that your opponents can`t see. Also known as the hole.

Pocket Pair
In Hold `Em, a pair with your 2 hole cards

Pocket Rockets
A pair of aces in your hole cards

Position
Where you are sitting in relation to the dealer and other players

Post
To put one of the blinds into the game

Pot
The collection of all the chips that have been bet in the hand

Pot Odds
The ratio between the amount of money that you need to put in to stay in a hand and the amount that you will get if you win the hand. See also `Implied Odds`

Pot-Committed
A situation where you are live in a hand and you have so few chips left that you are virtually forced to stay in the hand until the end

Pot-Limit
A betting structure where each player can raise up by a maximum of what is already in the pot

Pre-flop
Refers to the action before the flop is dealt

Put Down
Fold

Put On
To decide what cards you think an opponent has

Q
Shorthand for a Queen

Quads
Four of a kind

Rags
Low cards that collectively would not help typical starting hands

Railbird
Someone who watches a game, but does not play in it

Rainbow
In Hold `Em, a flop that contains three different suits

Raise
To call a bet and put another bet on top of it

Rake
An amount of money taken out of every pot by the house

Rank
The numerical value of a card (as opposed to its suit)

Razz
Another name for Seven Card Stud Lowball

Re-buy
An option to buy back into a tournament after you`ve lost all your chips. Tournaments may offer one or more re-buys or none at all.

Re-raise
To raise again after a player has already raised

Read
An attempt to figure out what hand your opponent holds

Redraw
A made hand that has the chance of drawing to an even better hand

Represent
To play as if you hold a certain hand

Ring Game
A cash game, as opposed to a tournament

River
The fifth and final community card in Hold `Em, also known as fifth street

Rock
A player who plays very tight, only raising with premium hands

Rock Garden
A table consisting of lots of rocks

Rockets
Aces

Rolled Up
In Seven Card Stud, hitting three of a kind with the first three cards

Rough
In Lowball, a less than perfect hand

Rounder
A professional player

Royal Flush
T,J,Q,K and A of single suit

Run
Another term for a straight

Run Over
To play aggressively to try and dominate the table

Runner
Typically said as "runner-runner" to describe a hand that was made only by getting appropriate cards on the turn and river in Hold `Em

Running Bad
A streak of losing hands

Running Good
A streak of winning hands

Rush
A streak of winning hands

Sandbag
To check a strong hand with the intention of raising any bet from an opponent

Satellite
A tournament that qualifies the winners for a larger tournament with a larger buy-in

Scare Card
Any card that gives a chance of a completed hand that would beat yours

Scoop
To win the whole pot

Second Pair
A pair with the second highest card on the board

See
To call

Semi-bluff
Betting as if you already have a hand, but you actually need another card to complete a strong hand

Set
Three of a kind, with two of them in your hole cards

Set In
To bet enough chips so that your opponent has to go all-in to stay in the hand

Seventh Street
In Seven Card Stud, the final card dealt in a hand

Shootout
A tournament format in which a the winner takes the whole prize pool, or in which play continues at each table until only one player remains

Short Odds
The chances of an outcome that has a good possibility of happening

Short Stack
An amount of chips that is less than the other players at the table

Show One Show All
A rule that dictates if you show one of your cards once a hand is complete, you must show the other(s)

Showdown
The final part of a hand where if two or more players remain, the cards are turned over to see who has won

Side Pot
A pot that is created when 1 player goes all in, but two or more opponents continue the hand. The side pot can only be won by players who contributed to it.

Sixth Street
In Seven Card Stud, the sixth card dealt in a hand

Slow Play
To play a strong hand weakly so more players will stay in the pot

Small Blind
The smaller of the two forced, blind bets in Hold `Em, OR the player in the small blind position. This is typically half the size of the big blind.

Smooth Call
To call with a good had rather than raising, to make sure to not scare other players out of the hand

Soft Play
To go easy on another player because they are your friend. Doing this will typically be against the house rules.

Speed
The aggressiveness of your play. More aggressive is faster.

Split Pot
A pot that is shared between two or more players because the hands are equal

Spread Limit
A betting structure that allows a player to bet any amount within a particular range

Stack
A players chips

Stand Off
A tied hand

Stand Pat
To not swap any cards when you have the opportunity to

Steaming
A player who is playing badly or wildly typically because of being emotionally affected by the game

Steel Wheel
In Lowball, a straight flush, five high

Stop and Go
A play where you call (rather than raising) a bet or raise, but then come out betting on the next card

Straight
Five cards of consecutive ranks. Ace can be high or low for this purpose, but a straight cannot include a King and a 2.

Straight Flush
A straight with all the same suit

Streak
A run of good or bad cards

String Bet
An illegal bet when a player calls a bet and then reaches back for more, without verbally confirming what he`s doing first

Stuck
Slang for being behind in a cash game and feeling like you need to stay in it to win your money back

Stud
A version of poker in which the first card(s) are face down followed by several face up cards

Suck Out
To win a hand by hitting a draw that probability states you should not play, often with bad pot odds

Suited
Two cards of the same suit, especially hole cards

Suited Connectors
2 cards of the same suit and adjacent in rank, e.g. +

Sweeten the Pot
Slang for a raise

T
Shorthand for a Ten

Table Image
The way in which your opponents perceive your style of play - how they think you play

Table Stakes
A rule that means a player is only allowed to use the chips that are in front of him in any particular hand. He may be able to buy more chips once the hand is finished. This rule is enforced in nearly all public games.

Tell
An unconscious gesture or act that gives away the strength of your cards to anyone who has picked up on it.

Texas Hold `Em
The most popular form of poker, involving 2 face down hole cards and five community cards

Texture
The potential and type of cards on the flop, giving and idea of what hands are possible. Specifically `Texture of the Flop`

Thin
To be `drawing thin` is to have only a few outs to win the hand

Three Flush
Three cards to a flush, requiring two more

Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank

Tight
A conservative style of playing, where only a few hands will be played

Tight Game
A game with lots of tight players

Tilt
To play below your actual ability because of being emotionally affected, possibly by the loss of a large pot or a bad beat. Also known as steaming.

To Go
The total amount a player must call to stay in the hand

Toke
A tip given to the dealer by the winner of each pot of a cash game. This is not involved in online play.

Top and Bottom
Two pair, with your two hole cards pairing the highest and lowest cards on the board

Top Pair
A pair matched with the highest community card

Top Set
Three of a kind, with your 2 hole cards matching the highest community card

Top Two
Two pairs, with your two hole cards pairing the two highest community cards

Trey
Slang for a 3

Trips
Three of a kind

Turn
Texas Hold `Em: The forth community card. Also known as `fourth street`

Two Pair
One pair, and another pair

UG
Shorthand for Under the Gun

Under the Gun
The position of the first player to act on their cards. (e.g. in Texas Hold `Em this is the player to the left of the big blind.)

Underdog
A person who has less mathematical chance of winning a pot than an opponent. Also known as a `dog`

Up Card
A card dealt face up

Value
If you are getting value for your bet then the odds are in your favour compared to the amount of money involved. (e.g. a £1 bet to win £10 at 5 to 1 would be a value bet)

Wheel
A straight from ace to five

Whipsaw
To raise before and after a caller that is caught in the middle

Wild Card
Usually in home games, a card that can be played as any card in the deck

Wired
A pair in the hole

X
Can be used as notation for a miscellaneous card. For example 'Axs' would be and ace with any other suited card or 'Ax' would be an Ace with any other card

Yard
$100 bill

Yeast
To raise

Z-Game
The lowest stake game in the house

Zombie
A poker player with no tells; a player with an excellent poker face.